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Wednesday, 17 April 2013

Governor Jonah Jang | credits:

College produces 5,160 postgraduate accountants

The
training arm of the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria, the
Nigerian College of Accountancy, produced 5,160 postgraduate
accountants during the 2010/2011 and 2011/2012 sessions, a statement by
the association has said.

The statement quoted the ANAN President,
Hajia Maryam Ibrahim, as revealing this at the 5th convocation ceremony
of the college at its permanent site at Kwall, near Jos, the Plateau
State capital.

Ibrahim, who described the college as a
post-graduate professional accountancy college modelled to advance the
science of accountancy, explained that the association decided on the
training of professionals to ensure the “proper blend of knowledge and
skills”.

She stressed the need to train
accountants that had analytical minds to address issues as they arose
and not only look at mechanical issues.

“There is no doubt that with the growth
of knowledge and the principle-based accounting standards, the work of
an accountant shall cease to be the routine debt and credit,’’ Ibrahim
said.

She added that to ensure that the
graduates of the college met “high expectations”, only people with a
minimum of HND or B.Sc. were admitted – as they were the kind of
individuals that could withstand the rigours of the training.

She told guests at the ceremony that with
a modest beginning at a temporary site, within the last five years, the
college could boast of facilities that could give adequate training to
at least 3,000 candidates at a time.

Ibrahim appealed to governments,
corporate organisations, especially the World Bank, international donor
agencies and all lovers of education to support the development of the
college.

According to her, the urgent needs of the institution are: a 200 work station ICT Centre, E-library and an administrative block.

The college, she said, had in place six
hostel blocks of 26 rooms, examination/administration office;
restaurant, generator house, a shopping complex, network of roads,
walkways, and water supply; facelift of college gate; furnishing of two
multi-purpose halls and attached offices.

In terms of security, she said, the
association had built a police station within the vicinity of the
college and donated same to the Nigeria Police Force.

Stressing that the development of the
permanent site should not be perceived as an ANAN project, but a
Nigerian project, she explained that the efforts being made by ANAN was
assisting the government in reducing poverty and creating jobs for not
less than 10,000 Nigerians.

Ibrahim, who disclosed that ANAN now
belonged to the International Federation of Accountants, International
Association of Accounting Education and Research, and Xtensible Business
Reporting Language Incorporated, urged graduands to push for
accountability, transparency and fight corruption in all its
ramifications.

While also noting that the association
belonged to Pan African Federation of Accountants, Association of
Accounting Bodies in West Africa and the Association of Professional
Bodies of Nigeria, she thanked the founders of the association for the
vision. She also thanked the Plateau State Government for its support
over time.

“We appreciate the Plateau State
Governor, Dr. Jonah Jang, for awarding the contract for the construction
of the road that passes by the college permanent site – the
Rukuba-Mango-Farin Lamba Road,’’ she said.

The Plateau Governor, who was represented
by the Commissioner for Finance, said the state government appreciated
the good works of the president of the association going by her
leadership qualities and urged her and her team to keep up the good
works.

Wednesday, 10 April 2013

Accountants Resolve to Make Inputs into Future Budgets

Accounting
professionals in the country have resolved that they would not shirk
their responsibilities, particularly in the area of making necessary
inputs into the budgets of the Federal and State Governments.

They resolved thus at the end of a recent symposium on 2013 Federal
Budget in Lagos, saying that they were more than ever determined to heed
the wise counsel of the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, on
this issue.

“The participants noted the call by the Governor of Lagos State that
chartered accountants should be more alive to their responsibilities by
making professional inputs into the budget process as well as monitoring
the implementation of approved fiscal documents.

“They therefore resolved that they will not shy away from
constructively expressing their opinions on government policies. In line
with their public interest mandate, they will continue to engage
governments at all levels in the long term interest of Nigerians,” the
communiqué issued at the end of the meeting stated.

The institute was said to have organised the symposium in pursuit of
its social responsibility duties and sought to critically analyse and
appraise the implications of the 2013 federal budget and expectations
from stakeholders in the economy.

According to the institute, about 760 chartered accountants
participated in the one-day programme, which was graced captains of
industries and leaders of thought.

While Fashola, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the
Lagos State Ministry of Finance, Mrs. Josephine Oluseyi Williams,
declared the programme open, the institute’s President, Mr. Doyin
Owolabi, delivered the keynote address on ‘2013 FGN Budget: Implications
for Macro-economic Objectives’.

Prof. Anthony Akinlo of the Department of Economics, Obafemi Awolowo
University, Ile-Ife, presented a paper on ‘Evaluation of 2012 FGN
Budget’ while Prof. Mike Kwanashie of the Department of Economics,
Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria x-rayed the ‘2013 Capital Budget and
National Development’.

Established in 1965, ICAN prides itself as having produced world-class
professionals, made remarkable contributions to the nation’s development
through strict maintenance of high standards and regulation of the
accountancy profession.

It also renders services to various parts of the country through its 47
districts across the states of the federation, United Kingdom and
America in line with provisions of the International Federation of
Accountants (IFACs) Statement of Membership Obligations (SMO).